The present invention relates generally to motor vehicle alignment and, more specifically, to determining alignment of wheels relative to one another using a position determination system.
Motor vehicle alignment systems are important for ensuring that the alignments of wheels on a vehicle are within the specifications provided by motor vehicle manufacturers. If the wheels are out of alignment, there may be excessive or uneven wear. In addition, the performance of the vehicle, particularly handling and stability, may be adversely affected if the wheels are not properly aligned. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cwheelxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cvehicle wheelxe2x80x9d refers to the tire and wheel assembly found on a motor vehicle. Such an assembly generally includes a conventional tire that is mounted on a metal wheel or xe2x80x9crim.xe2x80x9d
The wheels of a motor vehicle may be aligned in a number of ways. For example, an operator or an alignment technician can use a vision imaging system such as a computer-aided, three-dimensional (3D) machine vision that employs optical sensing devices, such as cameras, to determine the positions of various objects. Although such machine vision systems are typically used for alignment purposes, these systems can also be used to obtain other positional and angular orientation information about a motor vehicle. Examples of such apparatus and methods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,743, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Determining the Alignment of Motor Vehicle Wheels,xe2x80x9d issued to Jackson, et al. on Mar. 10, 1998 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,522, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Determining the Alignment of Motor Vehicle Wheels,xe2x80x9d issued to Jackson, et al. on Jul. 16, 1996, each incorporated herein by reference. The apparatus disclosed in these patents is sometimes called a xe2x80x9c3D alignerxe2x80x9d or an xe2x80x9caligner,xe2x80x9d hereinafter referred to as a vision imaging system. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cposition determination systemxe2x80x9d refers to an alignment system, such as the vision imaging system, in addition to other components used in conjunction with the alignment system to obtain positional and angular orientation information about a motor vehicle.
The above-described position determination system provides information, such as the centers of rotation of the vehicle""s wheels, which aids in the wheel alignment of a vehicle. However, other information such as wheel parallelism, can also aid a technician in aligning the wheels of the vehicle. There is, therefore, a need for an improved method for using a position determination system capable of obtaining other positional information about a vehicle, such as wheel parallelism.
This and other needs are met by the present invention, which in accord with one aspect includes indicating wheel positions on the vehicle with targets; imaging the targets to obtain locations of the wheel positions; and calculating a relationship between the front and rear wheels. The calculation of the relationship between the front and rear wheels can include calculating a front wheel track extending between the two front wheels, calculating a rear wheel track extending between the two rear wheels, and comparing an angle between the calculated front wheel track and the calculated rear track to a specified range for the angle. Furthermore, the calculated front and rear wheel tracks can be compared to specified ranges for the front and rear wheel tracks as an aid to a technician in aligning the wheels.
In another aspect, the calculation of the relationship between the front and rear wheels can include calculating a right wheel base with right wheel base being defined as the distance of a line passing adjacent to one of the right wheels and also perpendicularly from the wheel track passing through the wheel to the wheel track passing through the other of the right wheels. Furthermore, the calculation can include calculating a left wheel base with the left wheel base being defined as the distance of a line passing adjacent one of the left wheels and also perpendicularly from the wheel track passing through the wheel to the wheel track passing through the other of the left wheels. Alternatively, the right wheel base can be defined as between the two right wheels and the left wheel base can be defined as between the two left wheels. The calculated right and left wheel bases can be then compared to specified ranges for the right and left wheel bases as an aid to a technician in aligning the wheels.
In a further aspect, the calculation of the relationship between the front and rear wheels can include calculating a front center point of the front wheel track; calculating a rear center point of the rear wheel track; defining a line originating from the center point of one of the front and rear wheel tracks and perpendicular thereto and intersecting the other of the front and rear wheel tracks; and calculating an offset distance from the intersection of the line with the other of the front and rear wheel tracks to the center point of the other of the front and wheel tracks. The calculated offset distance can then be compared to a specified range for offset distance as an aid to a technician in aligning the wheels.
In yet another aspect, the calculation of the relationship between the front and rear wheels can include calculating a first diagonal between the right, front wheel and the left, rear wheel; and calculating a second diagonal between left, front wheel and the right, rear wheel. After that, a difference between the first diagonal and the second diagonal can be calculated, and the calculated difference between the first diagonal and the second diagonal can be compared to a specified range for difference between the first diagonal and the second diagonal. Also, the calculated first diagonal can be compared to a specified range for the first diagonal, and the calculated second diagonal can be compared to a specified range for the second diagonal as an aid to a technician in aligning the wheels.
Additionally, a first skew angle can be calculated between the first diagonal and one of the wheel tracks; and a second skew angle can be calculated between the second diagonal and the one of the wheel tracks. After that, a difference between the first skew angle and the second skew angle can be calculated, and the calculated difference between the first skew angle and the second skew angle can be compared to a specified range for difference between the first skew angle and the second skew angle. Additionally, the calculated first skew angle can be compared to a specified range for the first skew angle, and the calculated second skew angle can be compared to a specified range for the second skew angle as an aid to a technician in aligning the wheels.
Additional advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. As will be realized, the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.